Interest in education flows through community

The water towers are gone. I can’t say I miss them for what they were, but I do
miss them for what they might have become.

In 2006, the Daily Post sponsored a contest asking readers to suggest a symbol
for what makes Gwinnett great. The winner, Patti-Jo Shapiro of Lilburn, came up with an idea and an image that used those towers to show just what Gwinnett County is all about.

Shapiro wrote, “Gwinnett is Great, Success Lives Here…. We are great because the foundation of our success is our emphasis on education. The symbol of our success is bigger than a water tower.”

She went on to note that Gwinnett County Public Schools is Georgia’s largest
state employer and listed its numerous awards and honors.

“Gwinnett grows graduates. We wear the symbol of success as graduates with
caps on our heads and diplomas in hands. Dress the water tower with a graduation cap and wrap it in a diploma,” was her winning suggestion.

Dreamer that I am, I’d really hoped to see Shapiro’s vision come true. When
GCPS recently received the Broad Award, what a photo op that would have been for
national news!

Though the towers are gone, the emphasis on education continues to grow. Not
only in the classroom, but also in the whole community. The Buford Trout Hatchery and the lake at the Army Corps of Engineers Visitor’s Center facilitate public education regarding aquatic life. Gwinnett Parks and Recreation offers lifelong learning at all levels. Businesses are partnering with public schools to help keep success alive here through efforts like Norcross Cluster Schools Partnership and the church sponsored Half Hour Hero program.

Every year, to help foster this partnership GCPS invites community leaders to be
Principal for a Day.

“The award-winning formula of ‘Education plus Business Support equals
Community Partnership’ is practiced daily throughout Gwinnett County. PFD is a
program honoring this partnership, in which business and civic leaders have an
opportunity to experience the impact that educators have on all our futures,” Shapiro said.

This week, Shapiro, along with the Daily Post’s Todd Cline, Will Hammock and
Heather Darenberg, will be among those honored with that title.

But Shapiro’s involvement goes beyond just one day. She has arranged for the
Lilburn Business Association to honor their local principals at their monthly luncheon on Tuesday November 16, 11:30 at Killian Hall. Berney Kirkland GCPS Chief of Staff, with whom I had the pleasure of teaching 25 years ago at St. John Neumann Mother’s Morning Out, will be the guest speaker. Other guests of honor include School Board member Louise Radloff and Gail Macrenaris of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. The event will allow business owners, community leaders, educators and clergy the opportunity to explore the many ways they can cooperatively keep Gwinnett great by growing graduates.

Shapiro’s idea for the towers may have fallen through, but her ideas about
education still hold water.

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